www.cer.eu/insights/thr...

There's a bit of that logic in the piece I just published. The EU may have to bend in the short term, but also needs to think about long-term options

By embracing trade with the rest of the world, Europe can in the long run derisk from both China and the US. In the end, that is the best way to a stronger, more independent Europe.

Last, but not least: there is a future for rules-based trade. But it largely lies with the world outside China and the US. The EU has had significant success agreeing FTAs with Mercosur and Indonesia as welll as real progress in negotiaions with India.

For that reason, it would be far better to focus on working with the Americans to address the challenges posed by China. It would make more policy more effective - and policy is easier to do when you don't work against the grain of reality.

Recent experience with Nexperia and rare earths shows that it will be difficult for Europe to stay on the sidelines of Sino-American disputes. China poses a larger challenge - if Europe is forced to choose between the US and China, it will choose the US.

The other lesson is that the rise of China and its economic model is a persistent challenge that will only rise in importance. China's ability to challenge key European sectors and willingness to weaponise trade relations means we're likely to see increased trade conflict over time

Far better to acknowledge that and conduct practical trade policy based on that to indulge in a delusion of strategic parity. The transatlantic relationship is essential for Europe in trade as well as security - let's depart from that basic fact.

It also means acknowleding the fact the EU is now the junior partner in the transatlantic relationship in economic matters as well as defence. You can try to change that long-term, but that is the current state of affairs.

Trade policy - at least with the US and China - is now increasingly conducted in the context of great power politics, not a rules-based order. The EU's consenting to the US deal shows that there is no appetite in Europe for a trade war with the US. We should stop pretending otherwise.

Likely, even

Glad I’m not the only one with terrible short-term memory….

Sounds like a good'un

It was fun while it lasted though!

Nothing new under the sun

You’d struggle to base 38,000 in London these days

As for Palestine Action, it’s also law and order, but about the consequences of their protest against military installation, which has faded from the public mind. Crackdown on protests was incidental and not the goal- if it were it would have been counterproductive

It’s a law and order perspective - the Maccabi ban was not about football hooliganism, it was about risk both ways - attack on supporters and risk of hooliganism - and police capacity to clamp down. The govt thinks police should be able to guarantee security for that